She pursed her lips. No lipstick on her teeth. She loved this shade. It was the lipstick she wore when she wanted to feel confident. Fenty 67. A bold berry that highlighted her skin.
“You look fine,” Donovan said, sitting next to her on the couch in the green room where they waited for a producer to lead them to the studio for taping.
She snapped the compact closed. “With compliments like that, I’ll be surprised if my head can fit through the door.”
“You don’t need me to tell you you’re a beautiful woman.” He said it plainly without a hint of mockery. Like it was a simple truth that couldn’t be argued.
He also didn’t sound happy about it, and yet her heart, that stupid muscle, stuttered in joy. “Thanks. I think.”
His phone beeped with an incoming message. He took it out, frowned at the screen for a second, then jammed the phone back into his pocket. A sigh full of frustration accompanied the gesture.
“Bad news?” Jada asked.
“It’s nothing.”
It didn’t sound like nothing, but before she could decide whether or not to press her new “friend,” the door opened, and a woman in her thirties appeared, wearing a headset. “Hi, I’m Jenny, one of the producers. Are y’all ready to go to set?”
Jada took a deep breath and slowly stood. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She and Donovan followed Jenny single file down the hall. The walls were lined with photos of guests over the years and stills of the more infamous moments from the show. Would she and Donovan end up on the wall? She hoped not. She wanted to get in and get out without a new scandal. Or the urge to beg him to kiss her again.
Jenny introduced them to the host, Kayla Ruiz, a stunning brunette, while two production assistants miked them up. Unfortunately, that task didn’t take long and soon they were sitting on two high-back metal stools next to Kayla, waiting for the show to come back from a commercial break.
Why did she think this was a good idea? She should have kept her mouth shut. But nooo, she’d wanted to thank Donovan for letting her host the book club meeting and get the store more customers.
From behind the camera, Jenny counted down. “Three, two…”
Kayla instantly transformed into a professional TV show host. “Welcome back to Good Day, San Diego. Today, we’re lucky to have Donovan Dell, one of the stars of the San Diego Knights, and Jada Townsend-Matthews, who you may recall starred on the most recent season of My One and Only. She’s also the granddaughter of the Knights’ owner, Joyce Townsend. But all that is old news. What you may not know is that Donovan co-owns Sugar Blitz, San Diego’s newest buzzed-about cupcake shop, and Jada works there with him, and they are San Diego’s newest, hottest couple. Welcome, Jada and Donovan.”
Jada threw back her shoulders. Here we go.
* * *
“Thanks for having us,” Jada said confidently while Donovan waved.
He could only assume the gesture looked as awkward as it felt. He wasn’t used to being on camera with numerous hot lights shining on him. On the football field, he ignored, then completely forgot about the cameras once the game started and he became engrossed in the action on the field.
As for Sugar Blitz, Nicholas usually handled their media. He’d never met a camera he didn’t like. Donovan had been more than happy to cede the spotlight. Too bad there was a spotlight currently shining directly on him, turning the studio into a literal hotbox.
The host beamed at the audience at home. “Today, Jada and Donovan are going to show us how to bake the perfect cupcakes that will have your family and friends begging for more.”
“Or at least come down to Sugar Blitz for more,” Jada quipped.
A bubble of laughter bursting from his chest surprised him, helping to put him at ease. Jada grinned at him like they were sharing a private joke. Like the moment in the supply closet hadn’t happened. But it had. Her shining eyes and bright smile dazzled him. Nothing new there.
Anchor Kayla cleared her throat and stared at him expectantly.
“Right.” He clapped his hands together and gestured to the ingredients set on the table in front of them. “We’re going to make vanilla cupcakes. They’re our number one bestsellers because of our secret ingredient, which I’m going to reveal only to the people watching and then all the people who will undoubtedly watch later on YouTube and Facebook and Twitter.”
Kayla laughed. “Just a few, right? Jada, are you a baker?”
“I am not,” she said emphatically. “Donovan is going to be doing all the work today. I’m here to cheerlead. But I will say Donovan is a great teacher.” Her gaze shifted to him. “He was super patient with me.”